Trouble
by The Water Drinker
Summary: I think I got myself in trouble. Why did I have to say the word love?


I can't even think. My mind is a muddled mess. There's loud music blaring into my ears, fluorescent lights blinding me from overhead. I think I'm on a stage. There's a microphone in front of me. Definitely on a stage. What am I even doing right now?

It's all too hazy. Everything is. I'm looking out into the dark space in front of me, but I can't make anything out. Nothing is taking shape.

It feels like my whole world is spinning. I feel so tired. Like my legs could just collapse from underneath me any second now.

"Guh..."

I think that was my voice, but I can't be sure. I think I'm gonna be sick.

"Easy there, pal. I think you've had one too many."

I look to my right towards the voice. It was something to focus on. Something that made the world still for just a moment. A guy is coming towards me. A big, burly guy. What is he, a bouncer? Something tells me I wasn't supposed to be up on this stage.

As I turn my attention back to the front, I see a familiar face that I can just barely make out in the dark. Wait... is that... Yugi? He looks unsettled, or maybe mortified.

I think I just remembered something.

" _I think I left the faucet running. Now my words are filling up the tub."_

The melody of the song sounds muffled, subdued, now that my attention has been stolen by that face. My brain seems to be having trouble focusing on more than two things at the moment. Wait a minute... that's right, I'm at a club. And I think I just said something I shouldn't have. Now it's all coming together. Faces and shapes forming in front of my eyes as I recognize classmates and friends and... Yugi.

"Way ta go, Atem!" I looked beside Yugi to see Joey. He looks about as sloshed as I feel. And now I remember why he even just said that.

Damn it, how could I be so stupid? What have I done? How did I even get in this situation in the first place?

I stumble backwards. The movement causes the microphone to fall, and the discordant whine it lets out is enough to nearly deafen me in my current state of impairment. I chance a glance back at Yugi, hoping that maybe I haven't done any irreparable damage to our friendship.

" _Darlin' you're just soakin' in it."_

I really wish they'd turn that off. Not like anyone is dancing. Everyone's too focused on the idiot that is _me_. God, I'm so stupid. Yugi seemed to finally snap out of whatever trance he had been in before, as he turned around and quickly retreated into the throngs of people.

" _But I know you'll get out the minute, you notice all your fingers pruning up."_

How did it even come to this? I can hardly recall anything right now. I think I was dragged here, most unwillingly. Ah yes, I remember. Joey convinced me to come. I don't even drink, but it just seemed like such a good idea at the time. Seems like the way all bad ideas start.

It was just yesterday when all this was planned. Going to this club, to invite practically the entire school, ...to see Yugi... But definitely not _this_. Oh no, this was _my_ brilliant idea.

And why did I do it? Well, if I think hard enough, I might remember.

* * *

A hand slammed down upon the cheap material of a desk situated in a far off corner of a mostly empty classroom. The resulting smacking sound of an open palm hitting the sleek surface was loud enough to damn well echo. Atem, who had been previously resting upon said table, – with his eyes closed, but definitely _not_ sleeping, nope – jolted upright at the sudden noise.

Someone was looming over him, and it took all he had not to reach up and strangle the idiot on reflex. The fool had the audacity to grin at him. The other's messy blond hair falling into his eyes when he shifted a bit closer to Atem. Probably not the best choice, considering Atem had nearly strangled him on accident when he wasn't coherent. Now that he was aware, he might simply do it on principle. Very tempting.

"Get a good nap in, 'Tem?"

"...uck yo..." Atem mumbled as he rubbed at his eyes with the palm of his hand, and leaned back in his chair. Damn fool had to go and wake him up. He was actually having a good dream too. One about... Atem felt his cheeks flush slightly. About...

"So I talked to Yugi today. Before he went to _calculus_. Eugh."

Atem inhaled sharply, as if his thoughts might be heard. He looked up cautiously at the face of one of his supposed 'best friends.' He then realized he hadn't said anything. Hopefully his discomfort had went unnoticed by the blond. The last thing he'd need would be for Joey to know he had been dreaming about Yugi and him doing unsavory things. He'd never hear the end of it.

"Yeah? And?" That sounded nonchalant and definitely _not_ incriminating of having any previous lurid dreams. Yeah.

Joey slugged him in the arm, looking rather pleased with himself as he said, "And he's totally down for the party, man! Now's your chance!"

Atem sighed. Out of all the ideas Joey had had in the past, this one sounded by far the most unpleasant. The blond knew he didn't drink. And he'd sooner strip butt naked and confess his feelings to his crush in front of a stupidly huge crowd rather than attempt to impress him with his 'dancing.' A damn chicken given a lobotomy could dance better.

"Right, because all of your other plans worked out so well."

Joey seemed affronted, but not discouraged. He stood up straight and crossed his arms over his chest. "Hey, I can only give you all the tools to succeed. _You're_ the one whose gotta make it happen. It's like that one saying, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink!"

Atem knew his expression must have looked pretty unimpressed. "That doesn't even apply to this situation."

Joey faltered. "Yes it does."

"In what context?"

The blond waved his hands about in a dismissive manner. It made Atem feel at least a little better at knowing he had taken back some control over this situation.

"Whatever! The point is, he'll be there. You'll be there. You two can mingle! Talk it over! Drink! Live a little!" The more animated Joey became, the more Atem wondered why he was even humoring his friend by listening to this plan. Perhaps it was because, somewhere deep inside, he was hoping that one day one of these elaborate plans might work.

Yes, if just one of them worked.

Atem sighed. He had been crushing on Yugi, his other best friend, for so long. Almost since he had met the other in middle school. He had kept this little secret to himself for years. The only person who actually knew was Joey, a friend that Yugi had had before they had met. Someone who had become his friend as well. At least, after a little while.

Atem couldn't help but chuckle at the memory. Joey used to positively _hate_ him. He remembered times when Joey wouldn't even come near Yugi when he was around. When he had asked Joey why before, he had always received a dodgy reply. He had figured it out eventually. Joey wasn't exactly the most difficult person to read. He had concluded that the blond had been completely jealous. Something that Atem didn't blame Joey for. Mostly because of how instantly Atem and Yugi had hit it off. They had been nearly inseparable. Joey just hadn't even had a chance to become used to the sudden change. And so the blond had despised him.

That is, until Atem had kind of blurted out his feelings on a whim during a particularly heated argument between him and the tall doofus. It hadn't really been intentional. He had just been so damn tired of Joey's constant bitchy-ness whenever he tried to talk to Yugi. So, he had pulled the blond aside and told him to fuck off. Joey hadn't exactly taken it well. One rude, accusatory insult after another later, and he had defended himself with his most treasured secret.

Joey's attitude towards him had up and 180'd after that conversation at the start of their sophomore year in high school. The blond had told him why before, but he had disregarded the explanation on the grounds of it being completely ridiculous. Something about not being able to get in the way of true love, or some other bullshit like that.

Atem had not really been prepared for when Joey had decided to take it upon himself to play matchmaker. He was constantly thinking up ways to get him and Yugi together.

The only problem he really had with these plans of Joey's, was that he had already kind of accepted the idea of unrequited love. Yugi definitely loved him as a friend. Of that he had no doubt. But as anything more? Nah.

He had realized he had no chance with the shorter boy of radiant smiles when he had caught Yugi out on a date with a girl named Tea at a little cafe that had been a favorite of his and Yugi's. He knew it had been something special, because they had deemed that cafe as their 'spot.' It had been their freshmen year of high school, and he had finally come to terms with having a crush on another boy. His best friend no less. He had kind of wanted to talk to Yugi about it, and he knew there was a good chance the other boy might have been at their spot. It seemed so silly a notion now, but he had thought – since they had gotten so close so fast – that maybe Yugi felt the same. It was a foolish thought, and he had learned this the hard way.

Yugi had seemed so genuinely happy with her. So much so that Atem had made an about face and walked right out of the cafe, dragging a shackled and heavy heart behind him.

He didn't really like that cafe anymore.

So, he kept his crush a secret, hoping that one day it would just fade away. He didn't want to give Yugi up though. Hell no. But clinging to their friendship for dear life did his feelings for the boy no favors. Honestly, he feared he could say he loved Yugi without feeling awkward afterwards. His secret crush simmering in the fire in his heart for four years now, burnt around the edges for all to easily see.

Joey had told him in the past that his feelings were about as obvious as if he was walking around with a sign stuck to his face that had, _"I LOVE YUGI."_ written on it. To which he had responded in kind with, _"Shut up, Joey."_

Joey had offered to tell Yugi about his feelings since the blond had deemed him, _"Too damn emo to do it himself,"_ but he had quickly shot it down with a pretty convincing counteroffer of, _"You tell him, I will_ kill you _, Joey Wheeler."_ Thus Joey had resorted to petty little plans of playing cupid for him. All the while Yugi remained completely oblivious. Indeed, no matter what he did, or what ridiculous plan Joey could come up with, Yugi had remained oblivious to Atem's feelings.

After so very long, Yugi never treated him any differently from any of his other close friends, nor did he seem to ever be aware that Atem liked him just a little bit more than a friend. And after each and every failed attempt to get the smaller boy to notice, Atem felt the shackles on his heart get a little bit heavier.

Alas, this was his situation, and although he didn't completely like it, he much preferred to keep their friendship afloat without making it awkward. Don't rock the boat, as they say.

"Hey! Yoo hoo! Atem?"

Atem blinked several times when he noticed he had zoned out for a bit. He contorted his previously confused face into one of irritation when Joey snapped his fingers in front of his eyes. He batted the hand away from him.

"I hear you, fool."

Joey let out a sheepish chuckle before he backed off, then stared at Atem curiously. "What'chu daydreamin' about, hm?"

Atem dismissed the curiosity with a wave of his hand. "Nothing of consequence. What time is it anyway?"

The blond lifted a hand to stare at a watch wrapped around his wrist. "It's almost time..." He then looked up to give Atem a goofy, wide grin, and a wiggle of his eyebrows for good measure. "For Yugi to get out of his math class!"

Atem groaned. However much he wished for one of Joey's ideas to work, he more wished for Joey to leave him alone about it. The guy was way too persistent. Didn't the big doofus realize he'd rather not be reminded of his one-sided infatuation _every damn day_? With how wide Joey's grin was, he doubted it. Though he had to admit, it was nice having someone in his corner.

A gentle rapping of knuckles against the wood of the door to the classroom interrupted them. Atem didn't have to look up to know who it was. Joey had turned around at the sound. Atem was staring at his hands on the desk, but he knew Joey's face must have been nearly split with a grin.

"Hey, Yug'! You're out early."

Atem heard the soft giggle that belonged to no one else but his crush. It was unmistakable with its gentle undertones.

"Yeah, had a test and the teacher let us out early."

Quiet footfalls resounded as it seemed Yugi was making his way towards the both of them.

"How'd ya do?"

Atem was only half paying attention to them. He was much more interested in the lines and contours of his hands. Though he didn't get to examine them much longer when Yugi nudged his side in a wordless plea for him to scoot over. He didn't get much time to move when Yugi sat on the chair with him.

"Okay, I think. I didn't really get to study all that much."

Atem failed to notice when Joey's expression changed into one of sly delight. "Yeah, your 'okay' is my 'I made a 100.' I'm sure you did really well."

Atem felt the strain of discomfort seeping into him. Though he wasn't unused to Yugi's open displays of affection, it still didn't make him feel any better about it. He felt the beginnings of heat surface to his cheeks.

"Yeah, maybe." When Yugi's shoulder pushed into his, he quickly stood up from the chair. Yugi turned to him to give him one of his signature pout-y faces. "You're always so distant, Atem."

He shrugged his shoulders by way of reply. Meanwhile Joey was staring at him as if he had lost his mind.

Atem caught sight of the slight shake of Joey's head before the blond re-found his enthusiasm. "You still going to the party, Yugi? Not gonna back out on me after you promised, right?"

Yugi looked up with a somewhat forced smile. Atem knew by heart, Yugi was about as fond of crowded places, drinking, and dancing as he was, which was about as close to zilch as fondness could get.

"Uhm, yeah. Of course. I'll go."

Joey looked put-off by both Atem's and Yugi's behavior. "Well jeez, don't look so excited. Save some for the rest of us." The blond aimed a pointed glare at Atem before he went back to crossing his arms. A habit Atem knew all too well meant Joey was irritated.

He heard Yugi sigh, for he too knew Joey quite well. "Joey, I said I'd go. You know I don't like... places like that. But I'm not gonna back out."

The blond perked back up rather quickly. He placed his large hands on the desk to lean in close to the smaller boy, who leaned back in surprise by the sudden action.

"This time, though, you'll like it! I promise!"

Yugi didn't look entirely convinced. "O-okay." Joey moved away to stand up straight, looking rather pleased with himself. Atem watched as Yugi turned to him to give him a sympathetic shrug. He returned the gesture with a small smile. Yugi always did try to look out for him. The simple action was enough to lift his spirits from his previous thoughts. Yugi turned back to face Joey again before he went on to say, "Well, that isn't until tomorrow, right? What do you guys want to do today?"

Joey seemed to consider the question a moment, for he let out a hm. Eventually, he seemed to come up with an idea. "You guys wanna go to the arcade?"

Yugi seemed to find the idea good, as his face brightened into another one of those radiant smiles. "That sounds awesome." The smaller boy then turned to Atem. "Will you go too?"

Atem felt a little hesitant at first, but he didn't really want to miss an opportunity to hang out with his crush. And Joey too, of course. Maybe. On a good day. Eventually, he spoke up. "Sure." He did love games, and playing with Yugi was always an exciting challenge, who he knew also loved games just as much as he did.

Yugi's face lit up like a Christmas tree, and doubly as cheery. "Awesome."

God, he could stare at that face all day. It was a sweet, sweet torture. Perhaps he was just a masochist. Maybe that's why he could never give up on their friendship.

"Ahem," Atem tore his eyes away from his and Yugi's short staring contest at the sound of Joey clearing his throat. "Now that I have your attention guys, let's go. Ya know, before I get old?" The blond then set off for the door. Atem resisted the strong urge to roll his eyes. Perhaps Joey hadn't _entirely_ gotten over his jealousy.

The sound of a chair sliding back against the floor had Atem turning to look at Yugi. The boy smiled at him, then extended a hand. "Let's go, Atem!" Atem felt a little tense at the gesture. When they were younger, he had always let Yugi hold his hand whenever the smaller boy wished it. But now, it was merely fuel for his teenage hormones that would never be truly sated. Nonetheless, he gingerly allowed Yugi to take his hand, and was led out of the classroom.

* * *

The trip to the arcade was mostly uneventful. Atem had stayed mostly quiet while Yugi and Joey talked. Well, Joey was doing most of the talking, and Yugi threw words in when he was able to get through Joey's blabbering.

Yugi had tried to get him in on their conversation, but Atem was never really good at keeping up a conversation. He never really had been good at socializing. He was more the type to say what needed to be said when it needed to be said. Idle chatter wasn't really his strong suit. But Yugi didn't mind. Yugi never had.

"Here it is, boys! The best spot in town!" Joey exclaimed, making a show of it by spreading his arms out wide as if he had performed some kind of complex magic trick. Atem wasn't impressed.

"We see it, Joseph." He then walked by Joey, whose enthusiasm deflated with his sardonic reply, into the building. He heard Yugi chuckle behind him.

He didn't have to see Joey to know the other boy was glaring at his back. "Jerk."

Once they were in the building, Atem went straight for a particular game. A game he played with Yugi. It was almost like a tradition whenever they went to the arcade. Sure enough, Yugi wasn't far behind him. The game was called Capsule Monsters. A strategy game that he and Yugi favored ever since middle school.

Atem smiled as he sat down in the cheap plastic chair across a table to wait for his opponent to do the same. He felt a spark of giddiness. He couldn't help it, playing this game always made him feel better, and it always made him feel even better when Yugi was his opponent.

The smaller boy didn't disappoint when he sat across from him with a cocky smirk on his usually gentle features.

"This time, I'm going to beat you. Gotta make it even since the last time we played."

Atem felt the corners of his mouth twitch upward. He felt the beginnings of his competitive nature coming back to him. The tension he was feeling before ever since his previous thoughts in the classroom was slowly ebbing away. He was glad for the relaxed feeling. That sense of familiarity lulling him back into his comfort zone.

"Unlikely."

To anyone else, the reply might have seemed snide, but Yugi understood – understood that that was just his way of showing comradery.

Atem let Yugi make the first move, and it didn't take long before the two of them had become quite absorbed in the game.

He had memorized Yugi's playstyle. The other boy played cautiously, but knew when to make aggressive plays when he had to. Atem himself was more aggressive in his approach. When he saw an opening in Yugi's defense, he launched an attack on one of his monsters.

Yugi cursed lightly under his breath. "Pretty good."

Atem smirked. "You don't normally make such mistakes. Losing your touch?" The shorter boy smirked as well, and stuck his tongue out at him.

The game carried on. Joey stopped by their table to watch for a bit, but he had little patience for how slow they played.

"Just lemme know when you guys are done. Gonna go find somebody's ass to kick at Mortal Kombat."

Atem barely even heard Joey with how focused he was. He moved one of his monsters forward along the game board. It proved to be a mistake, for Yugi ended up trapping another one of his weaker monsters with one of his more mobile pieces.

He felt Yugi's eyes upon him. "Now who's losing their touch?"

He glanced up at the shorter boy and shrugged. "Lucky break."

Yugi's laugh was entrancing. It wasn't particularly loud, but it wasn't so quiet that it seemed unsure or shy. The sound sent a warmth up his spine that made him tingle.

"Suuure."

They played a bit longer without really making much progress with how careful they both had become as they got down to their last few monsters. It wasn't even until Joey returned to their table that they had even taken their eyes off of the game board.

Joey stared down at the last few pieces and groaned. "Are you guys gonna play anything else?" Judging by his tone of voice, he didn't seem pleased.

Atem looked up to see Yugi lean back in his chair and stretch. The shorter boy returned his stare after he had moved back to a relaxed position.

"Wanna call it a tie for now?" Atem wanted to keep playing, but his protests died on lips when Yugi smiled at him. It was awfully hard for him to deny Yugi anything he wanted.

He turned away to look elsewhere, just to keep from having to stare too much longer at Yugi's cherubic face. He didn't want to end up saying anything he might regret. "I guess."

"What do you want to play, Joey?" He heard Yugi ask.

"Well, I _wanted_ to play something we could all play, but you guys just ditched me."

"Ah, don't be like that. You know we always play this game. It's practically a tradition!"

"Yeah, yeah. I know. C'mon, there's this game I wanna try."

Atem lagged behind Joey and Yugi as he was led off to another one of the many games in the arcade. He just couldn't help but think. The more time that went by, the stronger he felt for the boy whose smile could light up a room. It made him feel tense all over again. He wondered, how long would he be able to stay like this? With these feelings safely hidden? Something had to give. He just sincerely hoped it wouldn't be their friendship.

"Atem?" Atem stopped in place and looked up. Yugi was giving him a worried look. "Are you all right?"

After a moment, he nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Yugi didn't look convinced, but he didn't ask any more questions about it.

Joey had picked out a fighting game for them to play. It was only a two-player game, so Atem sat out. Yugi had tried to get him to play, but he wasn't really interested, and politely declined.

Atem watched them for a time, but he wasn't really paying much attention. He preferred strategy games. Besides, Yugi would probably win anyway. As he expected, Yugi won several times - no matter how many more times Joey demanded a rematch.

"How about we try something else?" He heard Yugi suggest after Joey let out another frustrated growl.

"Fine. This game is stupid anyway." Atem smirked. Trust Joey to resort to calling the game bad simply because he couldn't win. Joey seemed to sense that he was being thought poorly about, for he turned to Atem to point accusingly. "Stop laughin', punk! I could mop the floor with ya!" Atem just shrugged.

Yugi stepped away from the game to then face Atem. The smaller boy's expression still looked slightly worried. "You want to play anything else, Atem?"

He could appreciate Yugi trying to include him, but there really wasn't much else he wanted to do. But as he stared at Yugi's face, he really didn't want to disappoint him by being a downer.

"Uh, maybe..." He looked around the arcade. The place was too crowded. Any games that looked promising were already taken. As his eyes traveled through the crowd, he noticed something that surprised him, and not in a good way. He caught sight of a head of short, brown hair. A familiar girl was on top of one of the DDR platforms, dancing. She had just finished the song she was dancing to, and stepped off of the platform to turn around. Atem tried to look away, perhaps turn around so as not to be seen, but it was too late. As soon as Tea caught sight of him, she started hurrying over towards the three of them.

"Hey you guys!" Atem heard her exclaim when she made it to their group. He had only heard because he had turned away. A feeling of dread washed over him. It's not that he particularly disliked Tea, but he couldn't get that image of her and Yugi in the cafe out of his mind. _His_ and Yugi's cafe. Not hers. Not to mention she was the reason Yugi would never be interested in him. Or maybe he was just being pathetic, trying to come up with some excuse to make it easier to deal with the inevitable rejection he would receive if he ever told Yugi about his feelings.

"Hey Tea! I didn't know you were here!" He heard Yugi's happy tone, and it only made him feel worse.

"Yeah, I was just playing DDR. And hey Joey! Atem!"

If Atem had been looking, he would have seen the way Joey awkwardly shifted from foot to foot, and the way he glanced sympathetically between him and Tea. "Uh, yeah... hey Tea. How's it goin'?"

Atem didn't respond.

He also didn't see the way Tea gave him a strange look, nor did he see the saddened look Yugi sent his way.

"Well, um... you guys wanna play DDR with me? It's a two-player, but we can take turns!" Tea had said with her previous excitement returning to her tone.

"I don't mind." He heard Yugi say.

"Uh, yeah, I guess." Joey had said, sounding somewhat unsure.

When Atem didn't respond again, he felt a hand being gently placed on his shoulder. When he turned his head slightly, he saw it was Yugi's. He then stared at his worried face.

"You wanna play, Atem?"

He let out a sigh. No matter how much he would have preferred to just say no, he just couldn't. Yugi was too important to him. If playing would make him happy, he'd do it.

"Sure." He forced a smile for good measure. Didn't want Yugi to think he was being forced. That wouldn't make him happy.

He saw Yugi's face brighten.

"Let's go." The shorter boy said as he took hold of Atem's arm to tug him along. Resigned to his fate, Atem followed him.

* * *

Tomorrow came all too soon, and he was seriously regretting telling Joey he'd go to this stupid club.

Atem was sitting on his bed, completely dressed, just twiddling his thumbs. Joey was supposed to come pick him up, but he was sure taking his time. It was giving him too much time to think about how bad this was going to suck.

But he had to go, he said he would. All he had to do was show up, say hi, then leave. He would just walk home if he had to. Call a cab or something.

Or maybe he could just tell Joey that something came up. Tell him he was sick or something. How was going to this club going to improve his chances of getting together with Yugi anyway?

Just as he was about to come up with some plausible excuse, there a knock at the door. Atem grumbled under his breath before he stood up from his bed to head out of his room to the front door. He swung it open to see Joey standing outside of it, looking way too fired up. He vaguely wondered where the blond got all of his energy.

"'Tem! You ready ta go?"

Atem let out a defeated sigh. Didn't really matter if he tried to make up an excuse. Joey would probably just resort to dragging him out anyway.

"Not really."

"That's the spirit!" Joey then grabbed him by the arm and pulled him – like he figured – right out of his house and towards a car parked in his driveway. He was practically pushed into the passenger's side.

As Joey hopped into the driver's seat, Atem mumbled, "I can't believe I let you talk me into this."

Joey didn't respond, he simply grinned like a damn maniac kidnapping his helpless victim.

The ride there was uneventful. Neither of them really talked much aside from Joey telling him he had the evening all planned. Something about Joey saying he had everything planned didn't really sit well with Atem. It was actually kind of a scary thought.

When they got close to the building, Atem could practically feel how loud the music was. It left a thud in his chest, and they weren't even in the building.

Joey parked and got out of the car. He was pretty quick to run off towards the club. Atem let out another sigh as he got out of the passenger's side much more slowly than his blond haired friend. At least one of them was excited about this.

He walked slowly up to the building. Yugi must already be inside. Originally, the three of them were supposed to go together to the club, but Yugi ended up telling Tea about it yesterday at the arcade. The two of them ended up deciding to go together. It had just made Atem remember how futile it was to even keep trying to play along with Joey's ideas. But somehow, during the time in-between getting home from the arcade that day and now, the blond had somehow convinced him that it would all be okay. He was surely a glutton for punishment.

Atem walked up to the doors and stood for a moment in front of them. Taking a deep breath, he pushed them open and walked inside to be greeted with the loud boom of music filtering in through the speakers.

People were everywhere. There were people that he recognized from school, and some total strangers. Colored spotlights dotted the floor in a mesmerizing way. The chatter from the crowd was almost as loud as the music itself. It was enough to near about deafen him. People were dancing towards the center of the room. He could hardly see them with how dark it was with the only source of light being the colored spotlights. A woman pushed into his shoulder as she walked by, causing him to stumble forward rather ungracefully.

Yep, he was definitely out of his element here. Not to mention the whole place smelled like cheap perfume and sweat.

Atem swept his eyes across the sea of people in search of Joey. When he couldn't find him, he settled for making his way to the bar. Damn fool just ditched him. Was this his brilliant plan? Leave him to fend for himself in a place he didn't like? Figured.

He pushed through the crowd until he was eventually at the counter. He sat down on the stool and leaned his arms on the counter's surface. At least it was slightly less loud here.

"What'll you have?"

Atem looked up when the bartender asked the question. Most of the drinks here were probably alcoholic, and he wasn't too interested in getting drunk.

"Water."

The bartender raised an eyebrow at him. "That's it?" He nodded. Not too much later, a glass of water was placed in front of him.

Just as he was taking a sip, a hand slapped down hard against his back. He nearly choked.

"Hey! Guess who I found!" It was Joey's voice. It sounded several times more annoying when it was being yelled into his ear.

Atem turned to glare at the blond, but his eyes got caught staring at someone else. Yugi was standing next to Joey, and he looked amazingly dressed for the occasion. But maybe Atem's opinion was just biased.

Yugi waved at him shyly. The smaller boy was probably just as uncomfortable as he was. Atem felt himself start to blush when he realized he was staring for a bit too long.

"Uh, you look great." Atem blushed even more at his own words. Was that an appropriate thing to say to a friend?

Yugi's cheeks tinted a shade of pink, and he smiled. "Thanks. You look good too."

Atem didn't get much of a chance to respond before Joey slapped his back again. "You two should go dance and stuff! Ya know, hang out for a sec." Atem glared at the blond. Joey rolled his eyes. "I know, I know. You two don't dance. Why don't you guys just go try." Joey then turned to him to address him directly with a smug grin on his face. "You should be careful though, you _might_ actually have fun, and we all know you're allergic to that shit."

With that, the blond pulled him up from the stool and pushed him into the crowd of people. Yugi was not too far behind him.

Atem stopped when he was close to the center, and turned around. Yugi was staring around at the other people around them with an unsure expression. God, he felt awkward. This was definitely not how he would have wanted to spend his evening. At least Yugi was with him. Though that left him to wonder, wasn't Tea supposed to be with him?

"So, uh..." He started awkwardly.

Yugi leaned in and cupped his hand to his ear. "What?"

Atem cleared his throat. "Is Tea not with you?" He wasn't sure why he bothered to ask, but at least it gave him something to talk about.

Yugi shrugged. "She was, but she went off to talk to someone."

"Oh." Yeah, he was never good at keeping up conversations. He shifted awkwardly in his spot. People danced around them as if Yugi and him weren't even there. It was like they were all under a spell. He turned back to Yugi. He wasn't really sure what else to do. Joey was supposed to be doing _something_. What, he wasn't sure. So he assumed he was supposed to stall or something.

Atem wasn't all too sure about what compelled him to ask, but the words slipped out of his mouth before he could even stop them. "You want to try to dance?" It was a silly request, and he felt ridiculous as soon as the words left his mouth. There was no way Yugi was going to dance with him.

"Okay."

Wait, what?

Atem's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't expected to get that far, so was left searching his mind for some acceptable response.

"I uh, I don't really dance." Great choice brain. When in doubt, be a coward.

He heard Yugi chuckle despite how loud it was in the room. "That makes two of us. We'll have to figure it out." He watched as the shorter boy looked around at the people all huddled close together and the way they were dancing. "Gotta just find a rhythm I guess."

"Maybe... not." He decided he really didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of his best friend.

Yugi laughed this time, and grabbed him by the hand to pull him forward. "You're the one who suggested it."

Atem stumbled forward, not really expecting Yugi to do that. "I didn't think you'd say yes." It was the truth.

"Sounds like a personal problem." Yugi said with a grin.

So Yugi started to move. He kept a hold on Atem's hands as he did so. It wasn't anything too elaborate, just some simple swaying to the beat. Atem felt his face heat up, but he tried to follow Yugi's lead and at least make an attempt.

He probably looked ridiculous, but the more he kept it up, the more relaxed he began to feel. He eventually looked up to Yugi's face from staring at his feet to make sure he didn't step on someone else's toes.

"It's not so bad after you start." Yugi said with a bright grin lighting up his features.

Atem nodded. It wasn't a terrible experience. He still couldn't help but feel embarrassed though. He couldn't believe Yugi actually agreed to dance with him. He was actually dancing with _Yugi_.

"Hey, Atem?" Atem looked Yugi in the eyes when he heard him.

"Hm?"

Yugi looked hesitant at first, but eventually he continued. "I was just wondering, yesterday you were acting kinda weird. You know, at the arcade?"

Atem nodded, thinking back on that time at the arcade. Probably one of his worse moments. Most of the time he could handle his feelings much better than that. But because he had kept thinking about his unrequited love situation before, it had put him in a bad mood that day.

"Yeah, I was just a little out of it. Sorry."

Yugi shook his head. "You don't have to apologize. I was just wondering why. Did I upset you?"

"No." It was true enough. It wasn't like Yugi directly tried to upset him. It wasn't Yugi's fault Atem couldn't get over his infatuation with him.

Yugi didn't seem to immediately accept Atem's quick response. The shorter boy took a moment to assess him. "Atem... I-"

"Yuuuugi!"

Both Atem and Yugi moved away from each other quickly at the sudden shout. Tea stumbled towards them looking a little tipsy. She grinned at the smaller boy, completely disregarding Atem like she hadn't even noticed him.

"I was looking all over for you baby!"

Atem felt his eyebrow twitch. Baby? Since when did Tea call him baby? It was enough to make him cringe.

"Baby?" Yugi seemed equally as surprised by the new nickname.

"Yeah! You just poofed!"

"Uh... You all right, Tea?"

Tea giggled and nodded before she walked up the short distance between herself and Yugi. She placed her hands on his cheeks and placed a sloppy kiss right on his lips.

Atem's eyes widened involuntarily. The sight in front of him shocked him speechless. As he stared at them, watched the way Tea deepened the kiss before she moved away from Yugi, he felt his heart sink all the way to floor. He let out a steady exhale.

He hadn't even give himself a chance to see the way Yugi had recoiled from the kiss like he had just been slapped.

"I'm going to go find Joey." He didn't give Yugi a chance to recover and say anything. He had seen quite enough of that to want to just escape. He heard Yugi call out to him, but he didn't stop to look back, losing the two of them in the crowd.

Atem made it back to the counter and sat down harshly onto the stool. The nerve of that girl. Did she have no shame? Right in front of _everyone_? It was infuriating. That image was going to be permanently burned into his mind.

Atem had turned his head just in time to see Joey pouring something into the water he had ordered earlier. He glared at the blond. "What the hell are you doing?" He didn't mean to snap at his friend, but now he was just plain irritated. He should have stayed home today. It was all Joey's fault to begin with.

Joey quickly backed up and chuckled sheepishly. "Uh, nothin'." The blond then slid the glass of 'water' towards him. "Here! Drink up!"

Atem stared at him suspiciously before he grabbed hold of the glass and lifted it to his nose. There was a strong smell of alcohol. The irritation he had been feeling before only worsened once he realized what Joey's little 'plan' was.

"Really? That was your plan? To spike my drink?"

Joey chuckled again. He lifted a hand to rub sheepishly at the back of his neck. "Well, I was gonna spike Yugi's too..."

Atem couldn't believe this. "This is bullshit."

Joey's expression turned to one of curiosity. "Jeez, what's up with you? It's not like I was slippin' you poison or somethin'. You needa relax once in awhile."

Atem shook his head. He leaned his elbow on the counter and rested his head in his hand. Perhaps he should just leave. He already knew this was going to suck before he came. Why bother torturing himself anymore?

He then made the mistake of looking over in the direction he had left Yugi. Tea was still all over him. Oh, how he would have loved to tell her to back the fuck off. After a moment, he let out a dejected sigh. What would be the point of that? It was Yugi's choice who he spent his time with. Not his.

Atem turned around on the stool. He stared down into the glass in front of him. The ice shifted as it started to melt.

Maybe it was Yugi's choice who he decided to like. But damn it, he was just so damn tired of feeling this way. He ran a hand over his face before resting it against his forehead.

He was tired of being careful. Too tired of trying to make sure he didn't slip up and say something stupid. Tired of tiptoeing around conversations that might reveal anything. He was so freaking sick of playing all these damn games. All off it just to keep their little boat that was their friendship afloat. To keep the water warm. All because he was too afraid.

Atem picked up the glass in front of him, tilted his head back, and drank the whole thing in one shot. He slammed it down on the counter when he was finished.

"Damn Atem." He heard Joey say with evident surprise.

He ignored him. "Give me something else. Something strong." He said to the bartender. The man nodded before going to retrieve his order.

One shot, two shots, three shots, four.

Atem had never really drank before. Never, in fact. He didn't know whether or not he was lightweight, but one more drink and he was sufficiently,

jalke **D** grjieo **R** gjios **U** gre **N** lkadjk **K** geid

He hadn't even been paying much attention to what Joey was doing, or anyone else for that matter. He giggled. This was actually quite relieving. His senses were completely dulled from the alcohol. It felt like freedom.

Atem stood up on wobbly legs, and turned around. The crowd was as they were before. Most dancing. Atem caught sight of Yugi. He grinned widely before he started walking over to him. He just wanted to hug the shit out of that adorable little fucker.

Something else caught Atem's attention before he had made it to Yugi. He turned to see a stage lit up by lights with a microphone on it. Oh hell yes, that was exactly what he needed right now.

Atem hurried over to it and scrambled to get up on the elevated platform. It took a couple of attempts, but he managed it eventually. He stood back up on wobbly legs and held out his arms a moment to steady himself. Once he made sure he wasn't going to fall over, he made his way to the microphone. He tapped it with his index finger. It whined in protest to the action.

"Testing, one, two, three." He giggled again. Something about that was just funny. He wasn't sure why, it just was.

A lot of the people who were dancing before stopped to stare at him. Atem searched the crowd and spotted Yugi. That girl was still stuck to his arm. What was her name again? Oh well, it didn't matter. Yugi was going to fall head over heels for him soon enough. Then she'd be sorry.

He saw Yugi mouth, "Atem?" but he couldn't really hear anything with all the music playing.

"I have... something _very_ important to say."

He felt the emotions coming up. Felt the words push at his lips to be spoken. His heart hammered in his chest. Here it comes, the moment he had been waiting for for so long. It was coming up out of his throat without his consent. Or maybe he just needed to puke.

" _Yugi_... I just wanted to tell you... We've been friends for a... really long time or something. And, I had these... feelings and stuff. What I mean to say is..."

He didn't really get a chance to see the way Yugi stared at him with such anticipation. He had a job to do after all. Drunkenly confessing to your best friend was hard work. The chatter that was so prevalent before had quieted down to listen to what he had to say.

"I love you Yugi. I've loved you for like... a million _years_ now. I just... have. _Let me under your skin_."

It was so quiet after his confession. When no one spoke, and he took a glance at Yugi's shocked face, something hit him like a ton of bricks. It was as if he had just realized something was wrong with this situation. This wasn't normal.

What had he done?

* * *

I remember now. I think I just got myself in trouble. I said way too much. Before that bouncer guy could get any closer to me, I hopped off of the stage. My landing wasn't so graceful though. I ended up falling right on my ass. If it was supposed to hurt, I didn't feel anything.

Joey ran over to me a moment later. As soon as I was able to stand up straight on my two unreliable legs, the idiot slapped me on the shoulder. I stumbled a bit, but thankfully didn't fall. Took way too damn long to get back up. I might have just stayed on the floor had I fallen again.

"Tha' wuz great, 'Tem! You really tol' 'em good, yeah."

I couldn't understand a thing that he just said. It was only adding to my forming headache from all these damn lights. Seriously, why do they need so many damn lights?

"I'm gonna go home."

Joey grinned at me. "'Kay! You take care now. Don' get runned o'er."

I didn't stand around any longer than that. I hurried to the entrance to the building to just get out of this damned hellhole. Maybe if I was lucky, I wouldn't remember any of this by morning.

I exited the club and stood on top of the steps. The air felt cold against my heated skin. I shivered.

I can't believe I said all that. I should have never said the word love. Why couldn't I have said like? That would have been much better. I just hope Yugi can forgive me for it.

"Atem?"

I inhaled sharply at the sudden sound. Spinning around quickly nearly caused me to fall down the steps. Not too far away from me, Yugi was standing next to the door. He looked troubled. I began to panic. The alcohol was just making it worse.

"Y-Yugi? I... I didn't know you were out here."

He smiled. The image was soothing in my mind. It eased the ache, if only slightly.

I wasn't all too prepared for him to walk towards me though. It caused my fried brain to panic again. This time I did tip over, but before my face could properly be introduced to the concrete, Yugi grabbed hold of my arm and pulled me back up.

I fell against him instead. I felt my face heat up even more. Using him for support, I stood back up as quickly as my inebriated body would allow. I heard Yugi chuckle. It only made me feel more embarrassed.

"You smell really bad."

Yep... yep... that didn't help.

"I was gonna go home..."

"Ah."

We stood there a moment. Neither of us said anything. It felt like the weight of my words on that stage was hanging over us. God, I wish I never spoke. It was making me feel horribly awkward and tense. Pretty soon I couldn't take it anymore.

"Yugi, I'm sorry. I didn't mean... I wasn't... It was-"

Before I could say anything more, my lips were silenced when something warm pressed against them. My brain couldn't even properly register what was happening right now. Was Yugi... kissing me?

Sure enough, when my eyes could finally focus, I saw Yugi's serene face so close to mine. I melted into it, and my eyes sagged closed.

We must have only been standing there like that for a few seconds, but it felt like my whole world slowed down. Then it was like my brain finally caught up with the present.

 _Yugi is kissing me._

Given the signal from my brain, my heart picked up its pace – significantly. It was so loud I felt the pulse. I vaguely wondered if Yugi could hear it too.

When Yugi slowly moved away, it felt like he took all of me with him. The feeling of loss was strong.

"You don't have to apologize." Yugi mumbled softly, fondly.

I really hope I don't have a heart attack right here and now. That would really suck. But the way my heart was trying to break my damn rib-cage was kind of scaring me.

Yugi chuckled again, but this time it was a bit deeper. Alluring. It sent chills down my spine.

"You should have told me sooner."

I looked up to stare into those large, violet eyes of his. "I... thought you would have hated me for it."

Yugi's expression fell slightly at my words. His smile was sad. "Oh, Atem. I would never hate you. You're the only person I could honestly say I love without feeling awkward about it."

I took a minute to think about that. That sounded awfully familiar.

"B-but... what about Tea?"

"Hm? Tea? Well, I like her. She's a good friend, but it didn't really work out between us. Someone just spiked her drink is all. That's why she was acting like that."

"Oh..." I stood there awkwardly for a moment as I tried to think of a way to word what I wanted to ask next. "You like boys?" I blame the alcohol for why that sounded so childish.

Yugi giggled. "I like _you_ , does that count?" I nodded vigorously. Yes indeed, that definitely counted. Yugi laughed. He then walked down the steps and onto the sidewalk below. I watched as he extended his hand to me. "C'mon Atem. Let's go."

This time, I didn't hesitate. I reached out for the outstretched hand and firmly grasped it within my own.

As he led me down the street, I couldn't help but notice the bad taste in my mouth. It was really something awful.

"I have a bad taste in my mouth." I really shouldn't have drank so much. I'd probably have the worst headache in the morning.

I heard Yugi laugh in front of me. He looked over his shoulder and sent me a smile. "Maybe when we get back to your place, we can wash your mouth out with soap."


End file.
